Welcome to the complex mind of a greatest average Joe.....

In all these years, September has been the fiesta time for me. As you know, my birthday is in the month of September; also I will get study (!) holidays. But life in 2009 turned back the clock a month before. This was the interesting August I’ve ever had in my life. There was lots of interactions, lots of travel, lots of running, lots of class bunking…..there was lots of such ‘lots’ which made to forget that I have a blog and I have to update it!

One of the memorable event happened last month was my sudden trip to Kerala. This was my third visit there, after 4 years. Kerala has been my favorite since my childhood. All those greeneries, backwaters, roof houses, people…….I just like it.

But the sad part is it was a two day visit. I had a crazy thought [I used to get a lot of it] of holding on the rotation of earth, so that I may get some more time. Wait…could I really do that?? Could I make the earth stand still?? ‘Still’? Eureka!! There is a way! When you have a camera, why should you worry? Let me ‘Frame’ those moments using it…..I think this is the reason why some call it a still camera[:)]

Thanks to Neela uncle and Prashu akka, I’ve got this new friend ‘Canon power shot 110 is’. This is a new digital camera, replacing my old film camera. My old cam was indeed a good one, I must admit it. But I couldn’t take scenery shots much, as my dad always insist me not to waste film rolls on it , rather than taking pics of family members. Now with this replacement, I had no worries….these are some of the pics :

one fine evening.........

flowers imprisoned........

one of may favorite......

what a pair!!!!

i 'shot' him while he was shooting someone!

could you see the bee there??

standing tall.....

mountain view....

it's a statue actually...

i ran behind the bird to take a snap...

at last it took pity on me and gave a pose...

the other side of the dam.....

lake view......

it looks as if it is waiting for someone......

i didn't expect i would get this shot.....i tried at past in vain....looks like a shot in maniratnam movie....

Though I was passionate about photography, I admit the fact that I am still half way from becoming a good photographer. Mostly I prefer the pics of nature, as it is more challenging and endeavoring one. The trees, flowers, sun, sky won’t come to us and say ‘cheese’. You have to go for it, that’s the challenge there. As of humans, we can picture them at anytime, anywhere, at any desired pose…we are indeed good at it!

Next night, I was on my way back to home. As usual, my eyes flew outside the window. I felt someone is following me. It’s the moon…. beautiful full moon. Everything else was just darkness…no vehicles, no houses, no street lights….it’s just me, moon and darkness…..could I stop this moment? I couldn’t, because battery was down for my friend! I wondered whether I could get another chance to stop the clock ….why not! This September we gonna go for industrial visit [which is an unofficial excursion!]….

Human’s imagination started with the advent of language. He invented words to express his emotions and sentences to covey the situation. He started with epics and poems, to express his imagination. As centuries passed by, there was a change in his mind. He thought “why we must say all the things to others…..let us make others to think “. He reduced the details in his stories to improve listener’s imagination. Thus Epics give way to novel, which evolved to short stories.

Ok, how far could you reduce a short story ….two sentences?? Two words? Lots of people tried to implement KISS [Keep It Simple, Stupid] principle in storytelling and succeeded to an extent.

Who was the first on to write the shortest story? The answer has been Fredric Brown's "Knock":

"The last man on earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door...."

It was considered as the best short science fiction ever. This appeared in the December 1948 issue of THRILLING WONDER STORIES.

Then Forry Ackerman claims he wrote the shortest one ever, titled "Cosmic Report Card: Earth" consisting of the single letter

"F". [Hope you got the meaning!]

Reading these, Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words, in his style:

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Let us now see sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers from the realms of books, TV, movies, and games to take a shot themselves.

The beauty in these stories lies in the fact that it makes us to write the remaining story. We are the story writers here. Our brain’s imaginative unit works more when we read this….Let us all try to write more like these. C’mon, it’s not that much hard….We are living in the age of SMSs. We can surely do it!!

[P.S] I tried myself, rewriting “knock” –

“The last human …..on Mars.” How was that??

[The Author humbly bows his head to the writers who wrote these stories. Including the last one, all rights are reserved to the respective writers. ]

Today morning, I was heading to my college by the college bus to lead my just another”just another day” .As I always used to do, I turned completely oblivious inside the bus and let my eyes and thoughts outside the window, to bond with the world.

I was often complained of being reticent while traveling. I don’t like using my mouth when I’m on a voyage. When we have an amazing sight outside, why should we ignore it? We may talk any time later but we may not see such sights later……

I was thinking of a name for such habit. Due to my bad vocabulary, I zeroed on “wayside watching”. What is there outside?? You think it’s just trees, houses, garbage and walking people??? Then you have missed a lot, guys…. Let me tell you what I saw today morning, outside the window railing.

1.A Couple outside a Temple: Let me remind you that I’m not a peeping tom. My memory processing unit doesn’t have the version of instantly remembering human faces. So I just ignore the passing humans. But I couldn’t do to this couple. They were just coming out of a temple. I don’t know who they are – They might be friends, lovers, or even married, but definitely not sibling. Because the boy was a south Indian and the girl was Nepali [I think so, I am not sure]. They were holding hands and tried to cross the road. They were really happy, that’s what their eyes conveyed (though I cannot see that Nepali’s eyes…). I wish they should sustain what was in their eyes….

2.Red Turbaned Sardarji: I can call him a mega serial on my Window TV. Every morning, I see this guy, with usual trademarks, around 8.35-8.40. He is in his late 50’s, always sports a red turban, an ordinary shirt with two buttons unbuttoned [err…weak grammar: D], and rides a brand old Hercules cycle. Sometimes he will be seen talking to some localites, which shows he can speak Tamil. I sometimes wonder what he was doing for his living, where he was hurrying, and so on. Today also we did the same routine – he cycling and me watching and thinking” why doesn’t he take a leave? Doesn’t he get any flu?”…..But nowadays I got bored of this recurring guy. Maybe a change in Turban color might work….[no offense]

3.SuperBoy [BGM:Fanfare] – Today I saw two kids, on their way to the school. They must be siblings. The elder of them is running forward, and crossed a small pit. He then called the younger one. The kid saw the pit with fearful wide eyes, went backwards, ran with full speed and jumped the pit. He was on at most joy, after he landed successfully. There was a mixture of joy and blush in his face, as he was running heads down. He reminded me of my younger days….

4.Posters and Banners: They are an important mode of communication in India. It conveys a lot about what’s happening around us – weddings, birthdays, deaths, movie releases, MP’s visit etc. Most of them are absolutely hilarious, especially the banners of politicians. The followers and admirers of the political personals show their ultimate love through the banners, giving us a great laughter show. The morphing effect they give for their leader will put the Hollywood in shame. But the problem is the cliche phrases they use [e.g.]”I’ve no age to wish him, so I praise him!”……. it’s really boring to repeatedly see such phrases. Today happened to be Bday of a MLA….need I say anymore???

5.Deforestation: Today I saw same people cutting down a palm tree. I don’t know how many penguins died at Antarctica due to this. Now a days I witness lots of trees which I used to see often, was missing. There was a tree near a cactus. That tree has no leaves. Together with the cactus and a crow, it will give a “horror-film-set-prop” feel. I thought the cement thing near it was a tomb, but later came to know that it was just a water pump. Even that tree was cut down. I and EEE Balaji used to call it a ‘Haunted cacti'. Now I really miss that tree….

There are lots more to tell you,-the houses painted in insanely stupid color [ one day I gonna enter one of the houses and bang the owner for his color sense] , a gaming centre with spidey portrait, crying kids entering school, girls, sky.... You asked me what’s outside?? There are moments….moments of life, which we may miss within seconds….Way side watching is something adventurous like treasure hunting….Here we hunt the moments. I have a companion too, my Apple iPod shuffle [As I’m doing final year now, I’ve decided to bend some rules]. It gives me a new experience while wayside watching……it’s like watching a movie outside a window with BGM…..Sometimes it plays the song relevant to the situation outside…..

Friends, you might be a ‘dhoom machale’ biker or an F1 racer…but for some time, just let others to drive and enjoy the surrounding guys..Enjoy wayside watching and have fun!!

[PS]

1.If you feel offended by this post, please pardon me.

2.Wayside watching doesn’t mean being peeping Tom… Have some boundaries and maintain it……

If you have read my first post...You might've understood that I am a dreamer. I dream around the clock, irrespective of the surrounding. Throughout my life I've faced lot of face bumps, back slaps, reputation as "being sober" and lot more for dreaming.

In fact dreams are my compensating factor. I do lot of things in my dream than in my real life. I swing through the skyscrapers of Big Apple, have a morning walk at Marlinespike, fight the aliens……..so on. Normally dreams are bizarre and illogical, but I love it.

I agree that not all my dreams are of Disney type. Nightmares occasionally visit me, but stay in my mind for a long time than any other wonderful dreams I came across... [Even day dreams!!]. Let me share one of my funny nightmares with you......

[I remember only bits and pieces of it…don’t be a caviler, looking for logical errors…]

One day I was writing my school exam. My exam hall is located at 4th floor of a building and I was writing near a window. Suddenly the ink in my lucky pen [I call it 'my right hand'] reached its empty level. I involuntarily shake my pen to write more…. [Remember the previous post?] .And then it finally happened...

The pen just fell down through the window...OMG!!It is my lucky pen, my right hand, and I am in middle of the exam…I don’t have extra pen …my hands are shivering in haste and….Hey wait! Am I missing anything here???....I was confused and raised my hand to….but…..wha…Oh god…WHERE IS MY RIGHT HAND???? I suddenly stood up and saw through the window.....To my shock, MY RIGHT HAND is accompanying my pen!!! What the heck is happening??? I am in the middle of exam and I am sitting without my both right hands!!!!

I repot to the examiner that I lost my hand and ran away. The staffs are standing in height order and laughing at me……When I reached the place where it fell, I was shocked to see that the principal sister took both my pen and hand …and walking towards the office room ……

I ran towards her and pleaded her to return my pen or else my father will kill me. She scolded me and told me to pay the fine and collect it from store room. I wait for long time, answering the inquiring friends, for the staff in charge. At last he came…when I gave him the fine amount, he said “idiot, don’t you know manners? Give it in right hand”…..I got angry and shouted in dismay, but my voice suddenly changed…….I made a very strange noise. Suddenly it ring a bell…..I got it….it is a bell…no not a bell, an alarm.

I woke up in my bed room and found that it’s all a dream. Something struck my mind and I checked my hand...phew! It is there….not with that stupid store keeper, I got up and went to check my bag for my pen….but…wah….WHERE IS MY SCHOOL BAG????

Yesterday was just another day for me……..classes, lectures, roaming, chatting, lab…..I’ve lost the count of how many days I’ve been like this…..

During one of the chatting session, one of the guys said about the possible cell phone raid [OK, don’t laugh!!]. As all of us know that will be an eyewash raid, we didn’t give it a care. Sooraj made fun of Madan that his brand new Sony Ericsson mobile worth 13000 rs/- will get caught. Then only I saw his new phone, and was said that it has Shake control. I’ve heard of it before, but never knew the mechanism behind it…. So I decided to browse about it.

Well, it all started by Apple Inc, when it introduced iPhone. You might have noticed that when you change iPhone position from portrait to landscape, or vice versa, the picture will change automatically.

Shake control is evolved from this. It all lies on a small instrument called ACCELEROMETER present in the instrument.

An accelerometer detects magnitude and direction of the acceleration as a vector quantity, and can be used to sense orientation, vibration and shock.

The accelerometer inside iPod touch uses three elements: silicon mass, a set of silicon springs, and an electrical current. The silicon springs measure the position of the silicon mass using the electrical current. Rotating iPod touch causes a fluctuation in the electrical current passing through the silicon springs. The accelerometer registers these fluctuations and tells iPod touch to adjust the display accordingly.

The shake control also uses similar kind of accelerometer to sense the shake and control the mobile functions.

The latest improvement in this Shake technology is Shake TV remote.

The remote control in the picture doesn’t need any batteries to make it work. The Shake Control is a concept TV remote that works simply by shaking it. Just move it in different directions to change the channels or the volume. The remote has a visible arrow-shaped magnet and coils of wire inside. All those components will generate 20-30mA current when the device is shaken. Then the gravity sensor measures the direction of the shake and delivers the corresponding result.

It is a good news for environmentalists, but a bad news for lazy channel surfers like me…..c’mon guys, every time we have to shake our hand to change a channel…this is unfair…..

Who Am I ???

What to say about me ,rather than that i am an average Joe from a small town & that i am an occasional student and full time dreamer???? yeah thereis something....I am not a Perfectionist,but a completionist....even it is a mess, i wont leave abruptly....i'll make it a complete mess!